MILDEW ON THE GOOSEBERRY. 



DIOSCOREA BATATAS. 



BY WILLIAM F. FALL, CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE. 



T WISH to present to the renders of the Uorticnlhtrist my efforts in tlic cnlture 

 of the Cliincse Yam. I ol)taino(l from Messrs. I'rincc & Co., last sprinf^, twenty 

 tul)ers, for which I paid^/fre dol/ars. I selected most excellent soil and position, 

 and luive cnltivuted carefully — indeed, I Iiestowed more than ordinary attention, 

 siftintr the earth, &c. <fcc. They have had what I should say a fair chance. The 

 7/i()st ri(forous of the vines do not exceed three feet in length, and are of the most 

 delicate character. As to the Dioscorea batatas, or Chinese Yam (what a name 

 for nothinp;!), u])on examining;, I could only find some strings, none of them larger 

 than an ordinary pipe stem. I determined to let them remain in the ground, with 

 a view of testing their value another season. New items are often prematurely 

 extolled, and the few realize enormously at the expense of the confiding. I view 

 it as one of the most worthless esculents I ever attempted to cultivate; and the 

 idea given so much currency to by Messrs. Prince & Co., that it is destined to 

 ecpial in value the cotton crop of these United States, to me seems superlatively 

 hazardous, to say the least of it. I would not this moment pay Messrs. P. k Co. 

 one hundred and eighty cents for their lSU,Ot)0 tul)ers to propagate in this latitude. 

 Tlie gentlemen speak with more than ordinary confidence, and base their statements 

 upon the result of their culttire in France. It is difficult for us to ascertain truly 

 their success in that distant land; we tcould rather hear from those engaged in our 

 midst in its culture than from those not particularly interested in " realizing millions 

 as its first propagators.^' If it is that estimable esculent, "the greatest boon ever 

 given by God to man," I say, let us have it. We hope, therefore, the one thousand 

 persons supplied by P. & Co. will, from every section of the Union, give their 

 experience. We shall then know whg-t latitude it best suits. 



MILDEW ON THE GOOSEBERRY. 



BY AN ENGLISH GARDENER. 



Sir: I am not well used to writing, and would any time prefer to use the 

 spade instead of the pen ; but I think it is a duty we all owe to each other to 

 communicate any facts we know in return for those we receive through your valu- 

 able journal. In a late number, Mr. W. Bacon gives his experience with the 

 Gooseberry. He instances a case where a bush suffered to become choked by 

 weeds, escaped from the mildew which formerly attacked it. I have had experience 

 so very like his for the past three years, that I am sure it will please him to find 

 his opinions so nearly confirmed ; and perhaps others may derive a hint, by which 

 the difficulties which surround the cultivation of this indispensable fruit may be 

 removed. 



Three years ago, our little place was bought from a small farmer, or " truck- 

 man" (as w^e call them here in our town), for a country residence. Along a line 

 fence were many native gooseberry bushes, which I have always supposed to be 

 the Houghton's Seedling of the nursery catalogues. This fence being very old 

 and unsightly, I proposed to my employer to have Chinese arbor-vita? planted 

 against it. She consented only on condition that I should not destroy the goose- 

 berry bushes. It was hard to get the arbor-vitaj stuck in between, in some pi 

 gooseberry plants were so thick ; but it was done at length. The groun 



